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In the past, the heavy duty truckers have been able to purchase sealed beam headlamps for the trucks using either a 2 round system or the 4 round system, with longer design life low beam filaments. In the '80's, many of the new truck models use rectangular sealed beams, however, these sealed beams were only available in the standard automobile life design. Truck operators noted the increase in replacement frequency and the additional costs related to the rectangular sealed beams. This paper covers the research, development and testing of the long life halogen sealed beam headlamps in the last several years. The final results of field testing are not yet completed, as only two filament failures have been reported after 19 months of use on heavy duty trucks.*

Recent admendments to the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 108 open new markets for headlamps of sealed construction utilizing the higher efficiency halogen regenerative cycle light sources. The terminology related to halogen-cycle lamps and the chemical/thermal cycle phenomena are explained for the automotive lighting engineers and references will allow researchers to review previous work. The history and practical applications of halogen lamps is traced from 1912 to the present halogen sealed beam headlamps that are available on numerous 1979 model automobiles. The new halogen sealed beam headlamps may be the initial step toward evolutionary new headlamp designs, involving new materials and new manufacturing processes to meet the changing needs of the automotive industry and society.